Amusement apparatus



E. FEY

April 26, 1932.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed July 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR, Edmund15 Mm ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE"EDMUND FEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS- Application filed'July 27,. 1929. Serial No.381,559;

This invention relates to improvements-in a competitive amusement devicewherein coin controlled apparatusisemployed to actuate a plurality'ofvehicles or the like.

improved coin controlled amusementdevice wherein a plurality ofmechanicallyactuated vehicles orthe like may be skillfully guided by anumber of contestants toward "definite goals.

Another object of my invention is to .provide an improved coincontrolled amuse nientdevice having a number of mechanically propelledvehicles or the like which may be competitively manipulated by a numherof contestants to avoid collision with certain obstacles moveablylocated'in their paths.

A further objectzof my invention is to provide acompetitive amusement.device embodying a number of mechanically propelled vehiclesor the likewhich may be competitively guided by a number-of contestants to avoidcollision with number of moving ob-.

stacles positioned in their paths.

Astill further object of my invention is to provide a competitiveamusement device embodying a number of mechanically propelled vehiclesor the like, anumber of moveable or stationary obstacles, and means forregisteringthe number of obstacles collided with.

during the travel of the vehicles toward their goals.

Other objects more or less-.apparent'will glllesoirti themselves or willbe specifically pointed outin thedescription to follow.

Inthe accompanying drawings: 7 H Fig-. 1 is a perspective view of acompetitive.amusement device constructed in accord-,

ance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same; 7

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on theline- =-33 of'Fig. 2-; and

Fig. t is an enlarged sectional view of a partot the device, showing indetail thelighting mechanism of one of the vehicles, an obstacleconstruction and its registering means,

Sand one of the mechanically propelled drums Anobject of my invention isto provide an i on which is wound the cable connected to the vehicle.

Referring to the drawings the numerall represents an enclosing casinghaving aniin clined runway 2 located therein, and a transparent topplate. 3 positioned over the latter. Extending inside the casing is acoin chute 3 through which a coin of a particular denominationmay pass.Rotatably mounted in the upper rear end of the casing are a pair ofdrums 4, which areadapted to be rotated independently ofeach other.Rotatably mounted inside the casing at pointsbeneath the drums 4, isashaft 6 which loosely carries a pair of pulleys 7. A .pairof belts 8extending over the, pulleys 7 and grooved projections secured to drums4:,serve to trans 'mit rotary motion from the shaft 6 to each.

I ing through elongated slots located in. oppo-.

site sides of each of. the clutch members, serve. to permit the clutchmember to slide. back and forth on the shaft as well as to rotate withthe. shaft. The. ends of the pins whichproject beyond the clutch members9 are each secured to a collar 10 loosely mountedon the said clutchmember. Each of the collars 10 are fastened to governor balls 11 whichin, turn are fastened to a clutch member 9. Upon rotation of thfe shaft6 the. clutch members 9 as well as the collars 1O rotate with it, andthe governor balls 11 being thrown by centrifugal force in anoutwarddirection move. theclutch'members '9 toward and in contact withthe pulleys 7, thereby causing the pulleys to rotate and actuate thedrums, 4 through their belts, 8. Theshaft Gisp'rovided with a pul by 12which is actuated by a motor 13. through a beltor chain 14. Suitablysecured and connected toeach drumA andfits axis,-

is, a flexible insulated, wire= cable 15 com prised' preferabl'y oftwostrands of copper wire through which an electrical current-may pass.Thecable ofjea'ch drum is suitably fastened to a miniature vehicle orother object 16 which is movably positioned onthe inclined runway 2.Suitable connections with an electric light globe 17 carried by thevehicle 16, are provided to permit the electrical current to proceedfrom the cable to the said globe. The drums at are preferably made froma metal material, and a contact strip 18 connected to a suitable sourceof electricity and to each of the drums serves to supply an electricalcurrent f r the lighting of the globes 17. When the drums are rotated bythe motor 12 the cables are round thereon, thereby causing the vehicles:0 be drawn up the runway 2. Slidably located in slotted brackets 18with parts thereof extending downwardly in front of the ClllllDS'l; aretwo vehicle guiding members 19 through which the cables 15 moveablyextend' The guiding members 19 are each loosely attached to an uprightrod 20 which is secured at its lower end to a rod 21 that extendsthrough the front of the casing 1 and is provided witl a manipulatinghandle 22. By moving; either of the handles 22 in semi-circulardirections, the vehicle guiding member 19 associated therewith is movedto different positions in front of its drum 4, thereby causing the cable15 extending therethrough to so move accordingly as to change thedirection of travel of the vehicle in its movement up the runway 2.

Pivotally mounted on the bottom of the casing 1 are a pair of contactarms 23 and 24, each of which is normally located beneath the end of thecoin chute 3 and in position to intercept a coin dropped through thesaid chute. The contact arms are each normally held in a forwardposition by a spring 25. Suitable electrical wires 26, from a source ofpower leading and connecting the motor 12 to the contact arms 23 and 24and the coin chute 3, form a circuit when a coin is contacting with oneof the contact arms, thereby permitting the motor to operate. Thecontact arms 23 and 24 are positioned one above the other, so that whenthe former is removed from engagement with a coin, the latter contactstherewith, thereby causing the motor to continue its operation until thelast mentioned contact arm is withdrawn from beneath the coin chute anddisengaged from contact with the coin. The contact arms 23 and 24 areeach connected by a cord or wire 27 to a U- shaped member 28, which ispivotally mounted on a supporting rod 29. The U-shaped members whichextend upwardly above the runway 2 and in front of the drums 4, arepositioned to intercept the vehicles 16 when they have completed theirupward travel. lVhen' either of the vehicles 16 strike a U- shapedmember 28 the said member is pushed forwardly thereby causing the cord27 at tached thereto to pull its contact arm from beneath the coin chute3 andfrom engagement with the coin therein. If the right hand vehicle 16reaches its U-shaped member 28 first, the contact arm 23 is withdrawnfrom contact with the coin at the end of the coin. chute, therebypermitting the same to drop onto the contact arm 24. In order to stopthe rotation of either drum & when the vehicle 16 associated therewithhas reached its U- shaped member 28, I have provided means fordisengaging the clutch members 9 from contact with their pulleys 7. Thismeans in cludes an upright pivoted bar 30 movably located in a circulargroove in each clutch member 9. Each U-shaped member carries a curvedprojection 31 which is in contact with one of the bars 30, and upon themovementof the said U-shaped member in a forward direction by the upwardmovement of a vehicle 16, the projection 31 thereon moves the bar 30 sothe same actuates the clutch member 9 away from its pulley 7. Thus wheneither of the vehicles 16 reaches its U-shaped member 28, the clutchmember 9 associated therewith is actuated so as to prevent the operationof the particular drum associated with the vehicle striking the U-shapedmember.

In order to prevent each of the drums l from rewinding while thevehicles are being drawn up the inclined runway 2, a curved shoe 32 ismounted to contact with each drum, thereby providing frictional means tooffset the weight of the vehicle. The curved shoes 32 are each providedwith a downwardly projecting part 33 which enters the groove in itsrespective clutch members 9, and until the clutch member is stationarythe said curved shoe continues to contact with its drum 4. lVhen themotor does not further rotate the shaft 6 and the clutch members 9, theshoes 32 associated therewith are moved away from their drums, therebypermitting the vehicles to move downwardly on the inclined runway 2. Itwill be noticed that either drum is stopped from rotating when itsvehicle has intercepted the particular U-shaped member 28 associatedtherewith, and that the other drum continues to rotate until its vehiclehas also intercepted its U-shaped member. Each drum is maintained at thetop of the runway 2 until the motor 12 has ceased to rotate the shaft 6and the clutch members 9, this being due to the fact that the governorballs 11 maintain the clutch members 9 in a position where the saidclutch members do not disengage the shoes 32 from contact with the drums4:.

In order to permit the contestants to stop the upward movement of theirvehicles, levers 34 are provided at the front of the casing, whichlevers connect through cords 35 to the upstanding pivoted bars 3 Bypulling the levers outwardly the bars 30 engage with the clutch members9 and draw them away from their pulleys thereby causing the drums tocease rotating. The shoes 32 during this time are still in contact withthe drums, thereby preventing the drums from rewinding and allowing thevehicles to descend.

To enable the contestants to exercise their skill in guiding thevehicles up the runwa I have provided a number of movable obstacles 36in the path of travel of each vehicle. The moving obstacles 36 are eachpiv otally mounted by a pin on a supporting bracket 37 which is slidablypositioned inside an arcuate shaped slot .38 in the runway 2. A pair ofwire springs39 attached to each obstacle and its bracket ST-tends tomaintain the obstacle in a vertical position. The inside of each bracketis provided with a spring pressed plunger 40- which is adapted to beactuated in a downward direction when struck by a pin 41 secured to anobstacle 36. Any of the obstacles when struck by a vehi- 01s in itsupward travel causes the pin 41 thereon to depress a plunger 40 so thesame contacts and in turn depresses a lever member 42. Each obstacle hasa lever member 42 thereunder which is adapted to be struck by the pin 41of the obstacle, and each lever member is so pivotally attached to thelower surface of the runway that its opposite end may be elevated uponthe striking of its front end by the pin 41 of the obstacle. 'lherearwardly disposed end of each lever mem ber 42 is positioned beneathand in contact with a collar 43 secured to one of two upright rods 44;the said rods extending into a register 45 which isadapted to beactuated to register the number of obstacles hit by each vehicle. Vfhena vehicle strikes an obstacle 36, a lever member 42moves the rod 44upwardly to cause the register todesignate the factthat'the saidobstacle has been struck. A stationary obstacle 46 located on eachrunway near the top thereof is adapted to cause the register 45 todesignate the fact of its being struck by a vehicle.

The obstacles 36 with their brackets 37 are each moved back and forth inthe slots 38 in the runway by a pivoted bar 46 secured to each bracket.The bars 46 are each provider with a projection which enters anirregular shaped groove located in one of two cylinders 47 secured tothe shaft 6. As the shaft 6 rotates the cylinders 4'7 rotate with it,thereby carrying the bars and their brackets to different positions. Theobstacles 36 are moved back and forth above the slots 38 and in the pathof the vehicles to diFerent positions, thereby enabling the. contestants.to.

exercise a. certain amount of skill in guiding their vehicles .up therunway without ailox'w' downward movement of the vehicles, merelydepresses them temporarily, they thereafter returning to uprightpositions.

In order to clear. the register 45* afteri' the vehicles have reachedtheir goals,-I have provided projecting arms 48' at the lower: end ofthe runway. As the vehicles 'run-zover'the arms 48, cords 49 attached.thereto and connected to the'register, are actuated to remove thedesignating characters 'from the glass front of the register.

After the vehicles havebeen allowed to move: in a downwarddirection,'the springsr25 of the contact arms 23 and 24 pull theU-shaped members 28 through cords27- to normally upright positions. It isapparent to those skilledrin the art that. my improved amusement devicevmay be constructedin other forms than the one shown and described, sofor. this'a nd other ap parent reasons I desire my invention includedbroadly within the spirit of the appended claims. i 7

Having described my invention what 'I claim is: V 1. In an amusementdevice," a runway, an object movably positioned on therunway, means formoving theob-ject along the runway, one or more obstructions movablypositioned on the runway and in the path of travel of the object andmeans indicating the number of obstructions encounteredby the object inits travel along the runway.

2. In an amusement device, a runway, an object movably positioned on therunway, means for moving the object along the runway, one or moreobstacles positioned on the' runway and in the path of travel of theobject, means for moving the obstacles back and forth across the path'oftravel of the object and means for guiding the object.

3. In an amusement device,a runway, a

plurality of objects movably located on the obstacles movably positionedon the; runway i and adapted to move back and forth across the pathoftravel ofthe objects, and independent means associated witheach objectfor guiding each object during its movement along the runway.

4. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objectsmovablypositioned on the runway, means for movingthe objects along therunway, one or more obstacles positioned on the runway, and inthe pathof travel of the objects, each obstacle being adapted to change itspositions when encountered soas to permit an object to continue itstravel along the runway, and independent means associated with eachobject for guiding the object in its travel along the, runway.

5. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objects movablypositioned on the runway, means for moving the objects along the runway,I a plurality of obstacles positioned on the runway and movable back andforth across the path of travel of the objects, independent meansassociated with each object for guiding the objects, and independentmeans associated with each object for stopping said object during itsmovement along the runway.

6. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objects movablypositioned on the runway, a plurality of rotatable drums, each connectedby a flexible cable to an object, means for rotating the drums, wherebythe objects may be drawn along the runway, and independent manuallyoperated means associated with each drum for stopping the rotation ofeach of the drums, whereby each object may be stopped during itsmovement along the runway.

7. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objects movablypositioned on therunway, a plurality of rotatable drums, each connectedby a flexible cable to an ob ject, means for rotating the drum, wh-.-rebv the objects may be moved along the runway, independent manuallyoperated means associated with each drum for stopping the rotationofeach of the drums, whereby each object may be stopped during itsmovement along the runway, a plurality of obstacles movably positionedon the runway and in the path of travel of the objects, and independentmeans associated with each object for guiding the objects during theirmovement along the runway.

8. In an amusement device, a runway, a vehicle movably positioned on therunway,

means for moving the vehicle along the runway, a plurality of obstaclesmovably positioned on the runway and in the path of travel of thevehicle, registering means con nected to and associated with theobstacles for designating a number of obstacles struck by the vehicle,during its movement along the runway, and means associated with thevehicle for guiding the vehicle during its movement across the runway.

9. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehiclemovably positioned on the runway, a drum rotatably mounted in the casingand connected by a flexible cable to the vehicle, means for rotating thedrum, whereby the vehicle may be moved along the runway, means forstopping and starting therotation of the drum, whereby the vehicle maybe stopped and started during its travel along the runway, a pluralityof obstacles movably positioned onthe runway and in the path of travelof the vehicle, means for moving the obstacles across the path of travelof vehicle, and means for guiding the vehicle during its movement alongthe runway.

10. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a drumrotatably mounted in the casing, flexible means connecting the drum andthe vehicle, a shaft revolvably mounted in the casing having a pulleyloosely mounted thereon, a belt extending over the pulley and the drum,a clutch member mounted on the shaft and rotatable therewith, means formoving the clutch member into and out of engagement with the pulley,whereby the drum may be rotated and the vehicle moved across the runway,electrically operated means connected to the shaft for rotating thelatter, and means for commencing and discontinuing the operation of theelectrical means.

11. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehicleon the runway, a drum rotatably mounted in the casing, flexible meansconnecting the drum and vehicle, a shaft rotatably mounted in the easinghaving a pulley loosely mounted thereon, a clutch member carried by theshaft, means for moving the clutch member into and out of engagementwith the pulley, frictional means engageable with the drum for normallypreventing its reverse movement, means actuated by the vehicle fordisengaging the clutch member from the pulley, whereby the movement ofthe drum may be stopped, and means for rotating the shaft.

12. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehiclemovably located on the runway having an electric light globe therein, anelectricity conducting cable attached to the drum and the vehicle, thesaid cable being connected to the globe and contact means mounted on thedrum, means for supplying electricity to the contact means on the drum,whereby the globe may be lighted, and means for rotating the drum,

whereby the vehicle may be moved along the runway.

13. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehiclemovably mounted on the runwa means for moving the vehicle along therunway, a plurality of obstacles movably mounted on the runway andlocated in the path of travel of the vehicle, a cylindrical memberrotatably mounted in the casing, having a plurality of irregular groovesextending around the member, a lever arm attached to each obstaclehaving a projecting part located in one of the grooves in thecylindrical member, and means for rotating the cylindrical member.

14. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehiclemovably located on the runway, a drum rotatably mounted in the casing,flexible means connecting the drum and the vehicle whereby upon rotationof the drum the vehicle may be moved across the runway, means forrotating the drum, means engageable with the vehicle for discontinuingthe rotation of the drum, and means for permitting the reverse rotation01 the drum, whereby the vehicle may be returned to its originalposition on the runway.

15. In an amusement device, an enclosing casing having a transparent topand inclined runway therein, a plurality of vehicles moveably located inthe casing on the runway, means for moving the vehicles, along therunway, and means located at the outside of the casing and connected tothe vehicles for guiding the said vehicles. 7

16. In an amusement device, an enclosing casing having a runway therein,a plurality of objects moveably located on the runway, means for movingthe objects along the runway, one or more obstacles moveably mounted onthe runway and positioned in the path of travel of the objects and meanslocated at the outside of the casing and connected to the objects forguiding the objects.

17. In an amusement device, an enclosing casing having a runway therein,anobject moveably located in the casing and on the runway, means 'formoving the object along the runway, one or more obstacles located on therunway and adapted to be moved to a position enabling the vehicle topass over it and means located externally of the casing and connected tothe object for guiding the object.

18. In an amusement device, a runway, an object moveably positioned onthe runway, means for moving the object along the runway, a plurality ofobstacles positioned on the runway and in the path of travel of theobject, registering means for designating the number of obstacles struckby the vehicle during its movement along the runway, and meansassociated with the object for guiding the object during its movementalong the runway.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

EDMUND FEY.

